Neighborhood Flavor

Visit Little Havana on the last Friday of the month and the pungent aroma of cafecito, cigar smoke, and roast pork perfumes the air in anticipation of Viernes Culturales and the collective rump-shaking it brings to the historic Latin nabe. The festive barrio blowout will unfold on Calle Ocho between Fourteenth and Seventeenth Avenues beginning at 7:00 tonight. Viernes Culturales features over a dozen art gallery openings, artists and artisans exhibiting their works al fresco, and live music on the main stage, not to mention the many local stores and restaurants that add a distinct dash of spice to the evening’s unbridled tropical flair.

This month’s performance kicks off with Palo, an Afro-Cuban funk band known for an infectious mix of vintage Latin music and contemporary urban sounds. The 22-member Miami Street Band follows with a fiery blend of R&B, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop, and rock music amped up by high-stepping dance routines, while the twelve Cuban all-stars who make up Orquesta America are set to bring down the curtain with a blazing tribute to salsa faves.
Fri., May 25, 7 p.m.